FairGujarati · Hindu
Bhavnath Mela
Girnar Mahashivratri Mela
Next date
Saturday, 6 March 2027
- Tithi at sunrise
- Waning Thirteenthuntil 12:03
- Nakshatra
- Dhanishtauntil 06:41 next day
- Lunar month
- MahaFagan in the purnimanta reckoning
- Sunrise
- 06:56Sunset 18:46
In short
Five days under Girnar ending on Shivratri, when the Naga sadhus come down and process at midnight.
The story
Bhavnath Mahadev stands at the foot of Girnar, where the climb begins. For the five days before Maha Shivratri the ground fills with akharas, and on the night itself the Naga sadhus bathe in the Mrigi Kund and then take out the ravedi - a procession through the fair with conches, drums and torches, timed for the nishita in the middle of the night. Girnar is one of the oldest continuously used ascetic sites in western India, and this is the night it is most visible.
Why it matters
The one occasion in the Gujarati year when the akharas are seen in public. For most people who go, that procession is the fair.
What people do
The bathe in Mrigi Kund precedes the ravedi. Pilgrims who are climbing Girnar start before dawn on the following morning.
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